


my love is the sea

by kiyala



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Merrow, Revisionist Fairy Tale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-20
Updated: 2014-04-20
Packaged: 2018-01-20 02:59:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1494127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kiyala/pseuds/kiyala
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There is a strange young man who lives on the edge of town, just by the sea.</p>
            </blockquote>





	my love is the sea

**Author's Note:**

> For [Eddy](http://freckledfeuilly.tumblr.com/), who requested mer!Courfeyrac and human!Combeferre.

In a town small as theirs, there are very few secrets, very few questions that go unasked, fewer than remain unanswered. There are legends, folk tales that parents tell their children by the warmth of a crackling fire, warnings woven into fiction, morals sewn into the edges of fantasy. 

Nobody quite knows the story of the young man who lives by the sea. He is kind, he is caring, quiet and respectful when he speaks, firm and stubborn when questioned on the subject of equality, of justice. He is a good man, who began working as the town's doctor years ago, and there is nobody in the town who has trouble trusting him.

That doesn't make him any less strange.

He walks by the sea, looking out at it with soft eyes, regardless of the weather, regardless of the season. There are whispers that he'd lost his lover to the sea, and others that say his lover _is_ the sea, somehow taken human form.

They don't know the truth of the matter, and Combeferre is perfectly fine with that.

:·:

It's a cold, windy day and there is nobody else on the beach. The grey clouds warn of a storm to come but Combeferre doesn't mind, walking along the pier with his hands in his pockets. Nobody is outside to see Combeferre take his jacket off, folding it nearly and placing it on the pier with his bag before sitting down.

"Are you looking for somebody?" a voice asks, as he dips his feet into the water.

"The love of my life," Combeferre replies with a smile, looking down at the head sticking out of the water. "Tell me if you find him for me, won't you?"

"Very funny," Courfeyrac mutters, wrapping his fingers around Combeferre's ankle. 

Combeferre laughs as Courfeyrac pulls him into the water, ducking his head under the water before re-emerging. They wrap their arms around each other and Combeferre strokes Courfeyrac's cheek with a fond smile. "Oh, there you are."

"Here I am," Courfeyrac replies, kissing Combeferre. "I missed you."

"Missed you too." Combeferre wraps his arms around Courfeyrac a little tighter. "How long can you stay?"

"I have a week off work," Courfeyrac tells him. "I just finished a case with a client that went all the way to the High Merrow Court. I feel like I need longer than a week."

Combeferre laughs softly. "You know me, I'm happy to have you for as long as possible."

"And you know that I never want to leave." Courfeyrac sighs. "Mother always said that long-distance relationships are difficult. She thought that _she_ had it difficult with my father, just because he lives in a different region of the ocean. She sends her love, as always. She asked me to remind you that she _is_ friends with the Sea Witch, if you ever wanted to join me in the sea. I told her that she's being silly."

Combeferre won't lie and say that he's never been tempted in the past, just as he knows that he will be tempted in the future, when Courfeyrac has gone home and Combeferre's bed feels empty. His place is on the land, just as Courfeyrac's is in the sea. The fact that they can make this work is amazing enough.

"Thank your mother for the offer, as always." Combeferre smiles and traces the edge of Courfeyrac's fins, enjoying the way he shivers with pleasure. "Shall we go home?"

"Let's," Courfeyrac murmurs.

Nobody is looking out at the sea, and so nobody notices that two figures emerge from the water instead of one. Nobody notices Combeferre pulling the clothes out of his bag and handing them over. Nobody sees them both walk to Combeferre's home, on the very edge of town, hand in hand.

"Do you remember the first time you saw my legs?" Courfeyrac asks with a grin. "You were so confused."

Combeferre laughs quietly. "Well, you can't blame me. I never even knew merrow could have legs. Back then, I didn't even know you were called _merrow_."

"Oh yes, you called me a… what was it? Merman. Human names are really cute."

"I remember you telling me," Combeferre murmurs as he opens the door to his house, "that it was unfair for humans to be able to walk and swim, but then only expect merrow to be able to swim. I used to think about that a lot, when it comes to equality and making sure that things are fair for everybody."

Courfeyrac can turn his tail into legs with a little bit of magic and they're just as scaly as his tail, with fins on the back and attached to his feet. There are fins on his arms, one on the back of his neck and one on either side of his head in place of ears. His nose is smaller than a human's but then again, Courfeyrac doesn't look human at all. Combeferre has always found him beautiful regardless, with his bright green scales and fins against his brown skin, his easy smile and curling hair. 

"I love you," Combeferre murmurs, pulling Courfeyrac into his arms once they're inside and the door is shut. "I love you so much."

Courfeyrac laughs with delight as Combeferre picks him up off the floor, spinning him in the small lounge room. There's a large tub of seawater just beside the couch, which Combeferre always sets up for Courfeyrac's visits. Even if they're right by the sea and Courfeyrac can go for days on land as long as there's moisture in the air, Combeferre knows that he prefers the water. It's only fair, considering that Courfeyrac will spend the night in his bed.

"I love you," Courfeyrac replies with a smile as Combeferre sits down on the couch beside him, their hands still clasped together. "Now, tell me what I've missed since my last visit. How is everyone doing?"

They pass the next few hours talking about their lives, filling every little detail they possibly can. Courfeyrac asks after every member of the town by name and Combeferre does the same for Courfeyrac's friends in the sea.They talk until it's late, until they're kissing more often than they're speaking and Courfeyrac wraps his arms around Combeferre's shoulders.

"Take me to bed?"

Courfeyrac dries himself off with a towel just enough that he isn't dripping everywhere he walks. The bed finally feels right, dipping under their combined weight and Combeferre pulls him close to kiss him again, both of them too tired for anything more just yet. He's certain that will change soon enough.

"You know," Courfeyrac murmurs, "Bahorel was telling me of a place they know that's somewhere between the human and merrow worlds. It's run by humans and merrow alike, and it's a safe space where we can all be out in the open together."

"That sounds wonderful." Combeferre can't even imagine how liberating it would feel to be able to openly spend his time with Courfeyrac, without the secrets, without all the precautions to make sure that he isn't discovered.

"I want to go there with you," Courfeyrac tells him, kissing down Combeferre's neck. "I want to spend an entire _month_ there with you, Combeferre. I want to marry you there."

"Courfeyrac?"

Courfeyrac smiles at him, kissing the tip of his nose. "I know it won't be recognised in your world or mine, but I don't care. I love you, Combeferre, and I want to spend the rest of my life stealing as much time with you as possible. It's been almost ten years since I met you and we were young and foolish then in many ways, but I'm glad that we decided then that this was worth trying, I'm glad we decided that we could make this work."

"So am I," Combeferre says softly. He doesn't think he's going to stop smiling tonight and oh, he has Courfeyrac for an entire week. He isn't going to stop smiling once for that entire time. "So we're getting married then. You know, I have a month-long holiday coming up soon."

Courfeyrac smiles at him. "I _do_ know that."

"Which means that we're getting married in a few months' time?"

"Mm," Courfeyrac sighs happily. "That's exactly right."

"I have no idea what to do," Combeferre admits. "Humans have all different kinds of wedding ceremonies but I don't think any of them would be fitting."

"Same with the merrow," Courfeyrac replies. "It's okay. We'll make it up as we go. It's worked out pretty well for us so far."

"Yes," Combeferre agrees, wrapping his arm around Courfeyrac and pulling him close. "Yes it has."


End file.
